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2009-10 Superpipe Competition Year In Review
Taylor Seaton and Megan Gunning took the inaugural pipe wins of the season. Despite nasty and snowy conditions, Taylor outdueled local Byron Wells while Megan Gunning put down the 1080 to to the women's field.
L-r: Byron Wells, Taylor Seaton, Noah Bowman. p: Camilla Stoddart
| Men: 1) Taylor Seaton 2) Byron Wells 3) Noah Bowman |
Women: 1) Megan Gunning 2) Janina Kuzma 3) Jamie Crane-Mauzy |
Interesting Fact: Seaton has great luck in NZ, taking 2nd in the 2009 NZ Open Pipe and 1st in the 2009 Pure NZ Games.
For full results and recap, click here.
While Snowboarders have been competing in US Grand Prix's for years, the Copper stop was the first time ski halfpipe was allowed in the mix. And it was none other than Canadians Justin Dorey and Rosalind Groenewoud who took home the wins for each gender. Despite snowy pipe conditions Dorey came from behind to best teammate Mike Riddle on the final run of the day. "It was awesome, man. One of the best days ever. A little bit snowy. I was on top until the end but I couldn't be more stoked," said Mike Riddle.
L-R: Mike Riddle, Trennon Paynter, Justin Dorey, Roz Groenewoud
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Men:
1) Justin Dorey
2) Mike Riddle 3) Simon Dumont |
Women: 1) Rosalind Groenewoud 2) Jen Hudak 3) Jess Cumming |
Interesting fact: Justin Dorey started his North American season with a win… and ended it with one at the last event of the year, WSI Superpipe.
For full results and recap, click here.
The first Dew Tour stop of the season is always anticipated heavily. For one thing, it's the first big event of the year and secondly, no one knows what the weather will be doing in Breckenridge in December. Well for pipe, it was snowy and windy, not ideal. But the Dumont pulled through with the help of a couple double flips to take his first, and only, win of the halfpipe season. For the ladies, Dania Assaly took advantage of no Sarah Burke to take her 900 to the top of the podium.
Winter Dew Tour Breck Superpipe highlights.
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Men:
1) Simon Dumont
2) Justin Dorey 3) Kevin Rolland |
Women: 1) Dania Assaly 2) Mirjam Jaeger 3) Jess Cumming |
Interesting Fact: This was one of three events this year where Kevin did not finish 1st. In the other four events he entered, he won.
For full results and recap, click here for men's and here for women's.
The North Face has dropped into freeskiing pretty hard. Signing big name athletes like Tom Wallisch and Mike Riddle, and then hosting a two-stop open series. And the Northstar stop had a special prize, the highest finishing athlete that wasn't yet invited to Winter X Games 15, would get a bid. David Wise and Dania Assaly dominated in the superpipe like we've come to know, but it was Matt Margetts and Maddie Bowman that got the X Games spots.
| Men: 1) David Wise 2) Matt Margetts 3) Patrick Baskins |
Women: 1) Dania Assaly 2) Keltie Hansen 3) Devin Logan |
Interesting fact: Maddie Bowman was the only skier from either discipline that received the X Games invite that wasn't on the podium this weekend. She finished 4th in Superpipe.
For full results and recap, click here.
The second stop of Dew was the beginning of the end for all other pipe skiers this year. Kevin Rolland took the win in Killington with his usage of three double flips in a run and didn't look back. Throughout the rest of this page, you'll probably see Kevin's name a couple more times. In addition, Gus Kenworthy stepped up to the pipe big leagues with his 2nd place finish and The Dumont finished on the podium once again.
Winter Dew Tour Killington highlights.
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Men's:
1) Kevin Rolland
2) Gus Kenworthy 3) Simon Dumont |
Interesting fact: Both with a 1st and a 3rd, Kevin Rolland and Simon Dumont were tied for the Dew Cup after the second of three stops.
For full results and recap, click here.
Kevin Rolland kept his win streak alive from the weekend before with his precision riding. Big amplitude and technical tricks, Kevin has been hard to beat as he repeats as Winter X gold medalist (3x if you count 2010 Euro X). But the big story was Sarah Burke. After a disappointing 2009-10, Sarah sat out the first Dew Tour rehabbing her shoulder surgery. But she came back out, guns blazing, with the most technical run of all the ladies, handily winning over boosty newcomer Brita Sigourney and perennial bronze medalist Rosalind Groenewoud.
Kevin Rolland X Games 15 Gold medal run.
Ah, the other big story would be 15-year-old local Torin Yater-Wallace who has rocketed to stardom with his silver medal performance at X. Big things to come out of this little guy.
| Men: 1) Kevin Rolland 2) Torin Yater-Wallace 3) Simon Dumont |
Women: |
Sarah Burke X Games 15 Gold medal run.
Interesting fact: The past three years, there has been a "newcomer" on the podium in Women's Superpipe. This year it was Brita Sigourney, 2010 saw Megan Gunning take silver and 2009 saw Rosalind Groenewoud take bronze.
For full results and recap, click here for men's and here for women's.
Immediately after X Games, the competitors traveled a snowy six hours to Park City, Utah, the site of the FIS World Championships, the first to include Slopestyle and halfpipe. After great sunny weather at X Games 15, it was inevitable that Mother Nature would seek retribution and snow during the Superpipe finals in PC. But with the IOC closely observing with a decision on ski halfpipe in the 2014 Olympic Games pending, the athletes braved snowy and windy conditions to put on a show [ed. note: ski halfpipe has since been approved for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia].
L-r: Kevin Rolland, Mike Riddle, Simon Dumont. p: Erik Seo
Mike Riddle, who had yet to find the top of the podium this season was the day's top dog. “Mike is the winner today,” said Rolland. “I think it’s a good judgement.” Rolland, who found himself in an unfamiliar 2nd place, must be happy given the conditions. The same could be said for 3rd place Simon Dumont. “I think we all overcame (the weather),” said Simon. “The next thing is the Olympics. Come on. Lets get it going. (It’s a) no brainer.”
The ladies, who were under the same strenuous conditions put down their best, with Canadian Rosalind Groenewoud on top. Jen Hudak upset and all-Canadian podium by taking 2nd on her final run, bumping Sarah Burke to 4th place.
| Men: 1) Mike Riddle 2) Kevin Rolland 3) Simon Dumont |
Women: 1) Rosalind Groenewoud 2) Jen Hudak 3) Keltie Hansen |
Interesting fact: Simon Dumont was competing with what was reported as a pulled muscle in his stomach. So 3rd place probabbly wasn't too bad a finish for Dumont.
For full results and recap, click here for men's and here for women's.
Kevin Rolland continued his dominance of Halfpipe at the final stop of the Winter Dew Tour. Using the same three-double-flip run that he used in Killington, Kevin recorded the highest ever score at a Dew for ski pipe [ed. note: score's are independent of every other event, so don't read too much into it. It's still impressive though]. And Snowbasin featured two first-time-Dew-Podium-ers, Benoit Valentin and Byron Wells. Kevin also secured the 2010-11 Dew Cup for Halfpipe with this win. Simon ended in 2nd and Thomas Krief in 3rd.
Kevin Rolland with his newly won Halfpipe Dew Cup.
Brita Sigourney brought home the bacon on her first run for ladies. Unfortunately on her second run during her attempted 1080, she fell and suffered a reported hip fracture. She would be back to compete less than a month later. Devin Logan also snagged her second podium of the weekend and Jen Hudak made it two consecutive podiums in as many weekends.
| Men: 1) Kevin Rolland 2) Benoit Valentin 3) Byron Wells |
Women: 1) Brita Sigourney 2) Devin Logan 3) Jen Hudak |
Interesting fact: Like the slopestyle, the pipe men had an LCQ as well, where Benoit Valentin qualified from. And then finished up 2nd, just like Slopestyle LCQ guy Joss Christensen. Big ups to LCQs at the Dew Tour, eh?
For full results and recap, click here for men's and here for women's.
Despite an unfortunate scheduling conflict with the Winter Dew Tour, The Aspen/Snowmass Open still had plenty of talent to rock the superpipe. In the end it was the heavy hitting style of Jonny Marks that ended up with the win. Kimmy Sharp led the pack of highly competitive ladies. No star power doesn't mean a bad contest. And in the case of this year's Aspen/Snowmas Open, just the opposite.
| Men: 1) Jonny Marks 2) Evan Schwartz 3) Brian Kish |
Women: 1) Kimmy Sharp 2) Shannon Gunning 3) Analisa Drew |
For full results and recap, click here.
The final event of The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series ended with some great weather and even better riding. It's encouraging to see more Open events around to feed bigger events with top young talent. So kudos to The North Face. And kudos to your Waterville winners Christian Allen and Anaisa Drew.
| Men: 1) Christian Allen 2) Dan Marion 3) Evan Schwartz |
Women: 1) Analisa Drew 2) Julia Krass 3) Jess Breda |
For full results and recap, click here.
After the cancellation of the 2010 European Open due to weather, this year's contest could only go up. And up it did. American David Wise clocked in his first win of the year, while Virginie Faivre extended her win streak to five consecutive Euro Opens (slope and pipe combined). Matt Margetts and Byron Wells both found their second podiums of the year
L-r: Matt Margetts, David Wise, Byron Wells. p: Stadler / Laax
| Men: 1) David Wise 2) Matt Margetts 3) Byron Wells |
Women: 1) Virginie Faivre 2) Anais Caradeux 3) Katrien Aerts |
Interesting fact: Eighteen different countries were represented at the European Open, making it the most diverse (nation-wise) event of the year.
For full results and recap, click here.
Kevin Rolland and Sarah Burke have done it again. Sarah takes her second consecutive gold (fifth gold overall) and Kevin manages his fourth consecutive gold (fourth gold overall). On the men's side the big story wasn't Kevin, it was Justin Dorey and Simon Dumont's switch double flips. The first to be landed in major competition. Once again, at an X event, the bar has been raised and the level been pushed.
Justin Dorey's silver medal run, including switch double flips.
| Men: 1) Kevin Rolland 2) Justin Dorey 3) Torin Yater-Wallace |
Women: 1) Sarah Burke 2) Anais Caradeux 3) Devin Logan |
Interesting fact: In Dorey's video above the announcer says Dorey has never won a Superpipe X medal, which is false. He took bronze at last season's Winter X Games Europe.
For full results and recap, click here for men's and here for women's.
At the last event of the last event of the year, it was only fitting that two Canadians brought home the bacon (Canadian bacon?). The WSI Superpipe belonged to Justin Dorey and Keltie Hansen, despite strong arguments from Simon Dumont and Sarah Burke's runs. But Dorey's switch double flips were too much and Simon/Sarah couldn't quite get the clean run they were looking for. While Kevin Rolland had already secured the AFP Superpipe crown, Devin Logan had to take 2nd to secure that title, as well as the 2010-11 Women's Overall Title. Justin Dorey leap frogged Simon Dumont for 2nd in the halfpipe standings and Gus Kenworthy's 12th place pushed him over the top to take the 2010-11 Men's Overall title.
L-R: Tucker Perkins, Justin Dorey, David Wise.
| Men: 1) Justin Dorey 2) Tucker Perkins 3) David Wise |
Women: 1) Keltie Hansen 2) Devin Logan 3) Anais Caradeux |
Interesting fact: Had Gus finished in 13th place or worse, he might have surrendered the AFP Overall title to Simon Dumont. Kenworthy only won by a margin of 57+ points.
For full results and recap, click here.
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